Rafael Stone gives huge hint about Amen Thompson's Rockets' future

There's been much discussion about Amen Thompson's long-term role with the Houston Rockets. It seems like Rafael Stone is envisioning the ball in his hands.

That's how it sounded when Stone recently appeared on ESPN Houston radio. Stone gave a wide-ranging interview that touched on several subjects. One quote about Thompson's future stood out.

"Amen can just play every position. If you think about how he carved out his initial role, it was without the ball in his hands...and now he's slotting back into (having the ball)"

- Rafael Stone on Amen Thompson

This comment originated from a Reed Sheppard discussion. Stone was discussing the challenge of being a lottery pick landing with a playoff team. He was highlighting how Thompson's versatility allowed him to transition into an off-ball role when he wasn't ready to play the 1 for a playoff hopeful.

Is he ready to have the ball back in his hands?

Rockets' Amen Thompson could make a star leap

It's a dead horse, but we'll have to beat it anyway. It's the topic de jour when it comes to Thompson. You know where this is going.

If Thompson can't shoot, he'll struggle as a lead ball-handler in 2025. Still, Rockets fans should be encouraged by his improvement. Thompson hit 13.8% of his 0.9 three-pointers per game as a rookie, and last year, he connected on 27.5% of his 1.3 attempts. If that leap portends another marginal gain, Thompson will be a sufficient shooter.

That holds particularly true when he's a walking dunk attempt. Last year, 42.0% of Thompson's shots came between 0-3 feet, and he hit 75.8% of those shots. For reference, Giannis Antetokounmpo hit 70.9% of his field goals in that range during his fourth-year breakout season. A similar 49.6% of his attempts came in that range.

Skeptics will (brilliantly) point out that Thompson is not Antetokounmpo. That's true - but he is Thompson. At 6'7", he's not nearly Antetokounmpo's size, but his unparalleled speed and vertical leap should allow him to continue feasting in the paint in his own way.

The future is unclear. It should be said that the Bucks built their whole roster around optimizing Antetokounmpo in the paint. The Rockets aren't likely to do the same for Thompson. Alperen Sengun is not a stretch big like Brook Lopez.

That's fine. Thompson can function as a secondary ball-handler. A smaller offensive role may allow him to focus on his dominant defensive impact. Still, it seems likely that Thompson's on-ball usage is going to increase as his career continues:

Just don't expect fans to stop speculating about his role.